Where Flowers Bloom So Does Hope | Wordless Wednesday #FlowerQuotes

Linking it to Wordless Wednesday

Flowers are the Music of the Ground

Linking it to Saturday Snapshot.

Saturday Snapshot is the brain child by Alyce of At Home With Books. It is currently being hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mummy Reads. It’s easy to participate – just post a picture that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member and add your link on Melinda's site.

Arjuna – Saga of a Pandava Warrior Prince by Anuja Chadramouli - A Book Review

Arjuna – Saga of a Pandava Warrior Prince
by Anuja Chadramouli #BookReview

I am back again, with a review of yet another book from the mythology genre - Arjuna – Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince – by Anuja Chadramouli. If you follow book reviews by on this blog, then you would know that I love books based on the Indian Mythology. That’s why whenever I have the opportunity to read such books, I don’t let that go. I received this book from Leadstart Publishing along with 'Asura' for an unbiased review. You can read my review of Asura by Anand Neelakantan here.

Quoted from the blurb:

Arjuna is the immortal tale of one of India's greatest heroes. These pages retell in riveting detail the story of the Pandava Warrior-Prince who has captured the imagination of millions across centuries. This is the intense and human story of his loves, friendship, ambitions, weaknesses and follies, as well as his untimely death and revival, his stint as a eunuch, and the innermost reaches of his thoughts. 

Told in a refreshingly modern and humorous style and set against the staggering backdrop of the Mahabharata. Arjuna’s story appeals equally to the average, discerning reader and the scholar. It spans the epic journey from before his birth, when omens foretold his greatness, across the fabled, wondrous landscape that was his life.

Asura – Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan - A Book Review

Asura – Tale of the Vanquished
by Anand Neelakantan  #BookReview

Asura – Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan is a very different book on the Indian mythological epic, Ramayana. To put in simple words, it is a radical take on our conventional Ramayana. Read it with an open mind and you will be able to appreciate the author’s view.

We have all heard the epic tale of Ramayana. My earliest memories of it are of the Ramayana serial by Ramananda Sagar, which was telecast on Doordarshan. I was a kid then but even then, I knew that Rama was the hero and Ravana was evil personified. This belief is deeply rooted in us Indians. That is why when I read this book Asura by Anand Neelakantan; it took me a while to absorb what I read. 

The blurb of the book best describes what the book is all about.

The epic tale of victory and defeat...

The story of the Ramayana had been told innumerable times. The enthralling story of Rama, the incarnation of God, who slew Ravana, the evil demon of darkness, is known to every Indian. And in the pages of history, as always, it is the version told by the victor that lives on. The voice of the vanquished remains lost in silence.

But what if Ravana and his people had a different story to tell? The story of the Ravanayana has never been told. Asura is the epic tale of the vanquished Asura people, a story that has been cherished by the oppressed castes of India for 3000 years. Until now, no Asura has dared to tell the tale. But perhaps the time has come for the dead and the defeated to speak. 

Never Mind Yaar by K. Mathur - A Book Review

Never Mind Yaar by K. Mathur
#BookReview

The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling “never mind, yaar”.

When long time friends Binaifer Desai and Louella D’Costa meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu.

The novel’s main plot line surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraught with communal tension.